12:22 Why doesn't the Act of Treason/Ghostly Flicker trick work on commanders? There is no time for state-based actions to be checked between the exiling and the returning of the creature, so the opponent owner would have no chance to put it back into the command zone. Found a Reddit post that refered to (C.R. 704.4, 117.2a, 117.5, 903.9a). Flcikering your own commander at least won't let you put it into the command zone. My Imoti deck used a Flicker/Peregrine/Mancer-loop for mana and I was under the assumption that I could just flicker my Imoti over and over to make its cascade on cast trigger work as an infinite mana outlet to cast
You are correct about Act of Treason + Ghostly Flicker or Cloudshift on commanders. Thank you! Apparently this changed when it stopped being a replacement effect. 903.9. A commander may return to the command zone during a Commander game. 903.9a If a commander is in a graveyard or in exile and that object was put into that zone since the last time state-based actions were checked, its owner may put it into the command zone. This is a state-based action. See rule 704.
Oh and one other thing I wanted to mention about the the SPECIAL protection spells: Benevolent Blessing, Cho-Manno's Blessing, Ward of Lights, Stave Off, Vines of Vastwood, Alexi's Cloak, Mage's Guile, Mystic Veil, and Veil of Sorcery are ALL interaction for your opponents too - particularly Combo players! The more of these you play, the more backdoor options you have to interacting with lethal combos, and that flexibility WILL save your life and WILL increase your chances of winning. I know you cover this here in the video, but its worth reiterating that these spells DO count as interaction against your opponents and are thus quite premium.
GREAT effort Lobbert! You've got me me adding to PDH shopping list & digging through my bulk! Looking at Floating Shield, Reality Ripple, Soratami Rainshaper, Dark Dabbling, Wail of the Nim all as possible additions to decks. I think Renegade's Getaway (40:45) is not so bad: "Target permanent gains indestructible" so could potentially save your Tortured Existence or Ashnod's Altar while comboing in mono-Black decks and leaves a body behind which could be sacced to Altar or protect a key creature from an edict.
I feel like faulting the spells that cantrip for encouraging bad play patterns is unfair. If a player uses them too early because they really want the card, that's their poor play and their issue, not the fault of the card.
I'll admit that it's not the strongest point in the "Cons" column but I still think it's a consideration. I start my bit on Shelter by saying that drawing cards is good for obvious reasons but I think it makes for more interesting content to be critical of cards that are obviously good. I stand by my criticism that it's significantly harder to hold up protection spells with higher mana values, which does change the math on how appealing it is to hold onto them, especially when you compare them to 1 mana spells that don't draw you a card, which is the obvious comparison. I agree that while a game is going and it's already in your deck that playing it too soon may be a play mistake but it's one that has real incentive behind it based on the decision to put a higher mana value spell into your deck to get that effect.
![Strix Control vs. Specter Control [Pauper EDH/PDH] - Magic: The Gathering](/img/n.gif)
12:22 Why doesn't the Act of Treason/Ghostly Flicker trick work on commanders? There is no time for state-based actions to be checked between the exiling and the returning of the creature, so the opponent owner would have no chance to put it back into the command zone. Found a Reddit post that refered to (C.R. 704.4, 117.2a, 117.5, 903.9a).
Flcikering your own commander at least won't let you put it into the command zone. My Imoti deck used a Flicker/Peregrine/Mancer-loop for mana and I was under the assumption that I could just flicker my Imoti over and over to make its cascade on cast trigger work as an infinite mana outlet to cast
You are correct about Act of Treason + Ghostly Flicker or Cloudshift on commanders. Thank you!
Apparently this changed when it stopped being a replacement effect.
903.9. A commander may return to the command zone during a Commander game.
903.9a If a commander is in a graveyard or in exile and that object was put into that zone since the last time state-based actions were checked, its owner may put it into the command zone. This is a state-based action. See rule 704.
Oh and one other thing I wanted to mention about the the SPECIAL protection spells:
Benevolent Blessing, Cho-Manno's Blessing, Ward of Lights, Stave Off, Vines of Vastwood, Alexi's Cloak, Mage's Guile, Mystic Veil, and Veil of Sorcery are ALL interaction for your opponents too - particularly Combo players! The more of these you play, the more backdoor options you have to interacting with lethal combos, and that flexibility WILL save your life and WILL increase your chances of winning.
I know you cover this here in the video, but its worth reiterating that these spells DO count as interaction against your opponents and are thus quite premium.
GREAT effort Lobbert! You've got me me adding to PDH shopping list & digging through my bulk! Looking at Floating Shield, Reality Ripple, Soratami Rainshaper, Dark Dabbling, Wail of the Nim all as possible additions to decks.
I think Renegade's Getaway (40:45) is not so bad: "Target permanent gains indestructible" so could potentially save your Tortured Existence or Ashnod's Altar while comboing in mono-Black decks and leaves a body behind which could be sacced to Altar or protect a key creature from an edict.
Awesome video. Very comprehensive and introduced me to many cards I hadn’t seen before
Great video!
Ornithopter of Paradise is PARTICULARLY good in decks that leverage All That Glitters or Cranial Plating.
That is all
NIcely done!
Thanks for the coverage. Just getting into the format. Btw Blink = "Slow Flicker"
I feel like faulting the spells that cantrip for encouraging bad play patterns is unfair. If a player uses them too early because they really want the card, that's their poor play and their issue, not the fault of the card.
I'll admit that it's not the strongest point in the "Cons" column but I still think it's a consideration. I start my bit on Shelter by saying that drawing cards is good for obvious reasons but I think it makes for more interesting content to be critical of cards that are obviously good.
I stand by my criticism that it's significantly harder to hold up protection spells with higher mana values, which does change the math on how appealing it is to hold onto them, especially when you compare them to 1 mana spells that don't draw you a card, which is the obvious comparison.
I agree that while a game is going and it's already in your deck that playing it too soon may be a play mistake but it's one that has real incentive behind it based on the decision to put a higher mana value spell into your deck to get that effect.